890 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 19,

MAYOR'S OFFICE, CITY HALL,

Baltimore, March I7th, 1874.
To the Honorable,

The General Assembly of Maryland:

GENTLEMEN :—I have the honor to inclose herewith the fol-
lowing copy of a Preamble and Resolutions of the Mayor and
City Council of Baltimore, in reference to the bill pending in
your Honoroble Body in connection with the City Passenger
Railway Corporations and the City of Baltimore, approved
March 17, 1874.

With high regard,

Your ob't. servant,

JOSHUA VANSANT,

Mayor.

Resolutions of Protest against the passage of any Act by the
General Assembly of Maryland, assuming to absolve the
Railway Corporations from the performance of the provis-
ions of their charters:

WHEREAS, The Railway Companies of Baltimore City are
now before the General Assembly, asking an abatement of a
large portion of the Park tax, we deem it proper to enter the
protest of the people of Baltimore ;

And Whereas, The City Passenger Railway Company has
had its counsellor before the Judiciary Committee of the
Senate, advocating the legality of an Act to absolve the Rail-
way Companies from the provisions of their charter, and it
being well known that the President of the City Passenger
Railway Company has been attending the session of the
General Assembly, advocating the passage of an Act to re-
duce the Park tax, and believing further that this matter of
the Park tax upon the Railway Companies is one that should
of right be left to the city and Railway Companies to settle,
as the charter of said Companies can only be regarded in the
light of a solemn contract with the city, the city according
unusual privileges in consideration of the payment by said
Companies of a Park tax, which tax, however, was at the time
of the granting of their charter, a voluntary offer upon the
part of said Companies ;

And Whereas, The bill now before the General Assembly
treats of a matter of vital importance to the City of Baltimore,
and can by no possible means be tortured into a matter of
concern to the State, and the city being best qualified to
know what is to her best interest in the regulation of her
internal affairs ; therefore,